Intel 82845G video driver problems
 

I have spent all day trying to get my video driver working properly. I installed SuSE 8.2 and the installation recognized everything beautifully except for my video driver. I started out with 640x480 8-bit VESA and have managed to get up to 1024x768 but still only 8-bit.

LSPCI OUTPUT:
linux:/dev # lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82845G/GL [Brookdale-G] Chipset Host Bridge (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82845G/GL [Brookdale-G] Chipset Integrated Graphics Device (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #1) (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #2) (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #3) (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB PCI Bridge (rev 81)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801DB ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801DB ICH4 IDE (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801DB SMBus (rev 01)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Audio (rev 01)
02:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82801BD PRO/100 VE (LOM) Ethernet Controller (rev 81)
02:0a.0 Communication controller: Conexant: Unknown device 2702 (rev 01)
LSPCI OUTPUT

DRIVERS INSTALLED
Intel 810 and 815 chipset family
/support/graphics/linux/#810815 (at intel . com - forum won't let me post full URL)
Installing this was what enabled me to increase the resolution but still not the color depth.

Intel 8245G/GE/GL/GV Support
/support/graphics/linux/graphics.htm (at intel . com - forum won't let me post full URL)
I believe that this is the correct driver that I need to get working. I followed the instructions carefully and tried many different things to get it working but no luck. The install instructions say that it was only tested with SuSE 8.0 and 8.1, but I can't believe that running 8.2 is the problem here.

XF86Config
This configuration works for only 256 colors when I do NOT have the 82845 driver installed.

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "IBM G96"
HorizSync 30-95
VertRefresh 50-160
Option "DPMS"
ModelName "IBM G96"
VendorName "IBM"
EndSection

Section "Device"
BoardName "Intel 810"
BusID "0:2:0"
Driver "i810"
Identifier "Intel"
VendorName "Intel"
# VideoRam 16384
# Option "sw_cursor" "on"
EndSection


Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Intel"
Monitor "IBM G96"
DefaultDepth 8 I have to set it to 8, if I set it any higher then startx fails
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout[all]"
InputDevice "Keyboard[0]" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse[1]" "CorePointer"
Screen "Default Screen"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group "video"
Mode 0666
EndSection

ERROR LOG
After I install the 82845 driver and restart, I get this error (even at 8-bit color depth):

(WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such device)
(II) Module ABI versions:
XFree86 ANSI C Emulation: 0.2
XFree86 Video Driver: 0.6
XFree86 XInput driver : 0.4
XFree86 Server Extension : 0.2
XFree86 Font Renderer : 0.4
(II) Loader running on linux
(II) LoadModule: "bitmap"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libbitmap.a
(II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.3.0, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.4
(II) Loading font Bitmap
(II) LoadModule: "pcidata"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libpcidata.a
(II) Module pcidata: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.2.0, module version = 0.1.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.5

*** If unresolved symbols were reported above, they might not
*** be the reason for the server aborting.

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting

HELP
I don't know where to go from here... I don't know what the apm_bios is for and whether that is my only problem or whether I have screwed up something else. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hi,

I am having almost the same problems. I have a Dell Optiplex GX270 with an Intel 82865G Springdale-G chipset. With XFree86-4.3.0-2 and 2.4.20-8 (Redhat 9 custom versions) I couldn't get it to work, so I tried XFree86-4.3.0-15 and 2.4.21 but it still doesn't work.

Worse, /dev/agpgart isn't recognised in 2.4.21 but it was recognised in 2.4.20-8.

I've scoured through many webpages and they give me to understand that the problem lies with the view of the VideoRAM. Due to some stupid quirk, the i810 driver allows only 1MB of Video RAM to be visible to Linux while the total amount of Video RAM can be as high as 16MB. Worse, there's no fix for this. There were some links on trying to fix it, and I even tried to install Intel's latest driver but to no avail.

I'll reel off a few of the links that might be of help to you, and if you have any success with them, let me know.

Regards.

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~chak/lin...0.html#xfree86
http://support.intel.com/support/gra...x/graphics.htm
http://www.togaware.com/linux/survivor/Vince_Dell.html
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...27484c&rnum=15
http://www.xfree86.org/~dawes/845driver.html

I got same problem and spent for 3 days to read all topics of this but did not resolve. Mine is Dell 2400 with 845GV. Bios A00. Redhat 9.0. I suddenly resolved the problem by a very sample way: Go to Bios setup, change the on board video memory from
1M to 8M.

Good Luck.

Hi tdejong

Just a quick note to keep in mind - I'm running an

Intel 845 GE chipset motherboard

under various Linux distros including Red Hat 9 - Mandrake 9.1 - Slackware 9 - Vector 3.2 SOHO

The chipset includes the 845 G onboard graphics chipset.

How about trying one of the other distros with your motherboard

(Just a suggestion)

I ran into the similar problem when installing RedHat Linux 9.0. the graphic card seemed to work properly during the installation, but when i start the system, the graphic display is screwed up.

I am using a Dell Inspiron 1100, the bios doesn't allow me to change the on board video memory.

I'm having the same problem.

I'm running Slack 9 and have the Intel 845 onboard chipset. Now, everything "looks" fine, but there are some little bugs.

Can't use Fkeys to swap screens; X crashes and I just get black screen.
If I "LOG OUT" to sign on as another user, X crashes and I just get black screen.

I downloaded the Linux driver from Intel...but installation has not worked. It removes the two old drivers and installs one of the new ones, but ERRORs on the 2nd module. Sorry...I'll sign back into Slack and get the specific errors.

I'm curious did you use the install.sh from Intel or how did you manage to upgrade your driver?

Thanks

I think I've got the same problem. I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 as well. I'm doing a dual boot with WinXP home and Mandrake 9.1

The 1MB limitation that shankark mentioned (I read the linked article as well) fits with what is happening. Any video mode under the 1MB works but video modes over 1MB don't.

Video Modes that work:
640*480*8
640*480*16
800*600*8
1024*768*8

I read a few reports of people installing Linux on the Inspiron 1100 with little problems. But I don't think any of them were installing Mandrake.

This one installs Red Hat and Debian with little problem:
http://www.geocities.com/randomnumbergenerator2001/

I've never used Linux before so I have no idea how to fix this... maybe I'll try Red Hat if I don't get it working soon. Running in 8-bit colour just doesn't cut it.

lt1derful, have you gotten slack 9 to work with the intel 845? Im running slack 9 on a Dell OptiPlex GX260 at school that has the intel 845 onboard. I get the same problem when im running blackbox, but when I exit, X crashes and I get stuck at a black screen. Any suggestions? Thanks.

i have the same problem, but now my video card works good!
my chepest is intel d845g , i just change my video driver .
go to intel homepage ,and download a driver for linux ,it'll works better!

Try this other thread
 

There is another thread titled "Intel 865G integrated graphics and XFree 4.3" that has a possible solution. It requires going back 1 or 2 revisions of your BIOS. (downgrading). I have a GX270 with the A03 BIOS and am having the same problem. Dell, however, seems to have removed references to the previous BIOS' from their website. About half-way down the thread is a link to the A01 version of the BIOS on DELL's Web Site, so the A02 might still be there, just not displayed when you search for downloads. I hope this helps you. :)

I had a bit of success by following the advice above about switching the BIOS setting from 1MB to 8MB, but I still had the black screen of death at logout time.

I found that this was cured by modifying my XF86Config file and replacing the "vesa" card driver with the "i810" one. It works ok now.

hardware is a Dell Optiplex SX260 with an onboard 845 vga chipset, distro is Slack 9.1

Jelly

...I don't even know HOW to install these drivers...ugh. I'm such a noob. FINALLY got the .tgz, figured out how to decompress it, and I'm totally lost from there. I've been reading readme files, and...eww, I just can't figure out what the Hell to do.

you probably need to run a script. find the directions. put them here. ill help.

Try 'vesa' driver it seems to work with most video card problems:

Section "Device"
BoardName "Intel 810"
BusID "0:2:0"
Driver "vesa"
Identifier "Intel"
VendorName "Intel"
# VideoRam 16384
# Option "sw_cursor" "on"
EndSection

Also try these link from intel website related to this problem:
http://www.intel.com/support/graphic.../cs-009118.htm
http://download.intel.com/support/gr...ease_linux.pdf

It worked
 

HI All,

I have had the same problem for a long time. Finally I did what Jelly did and it worked like charm. No I can log off without having to reboot. This just made my day. Thanks Jelly.

TRuly,
Rajan